Our Story
The Altadena Farmers’ Market was founded in 2012, as the first certified farmers’ market in Altadena. The market was an expansion of the Altadena Urban Farmers’ Market, a regular gathering at the historic Zane Grey Estate “for people mostly from Altadena to sell home grown and home made stuff, mostly food, to each other.” The Zane Grey Estate was a historic building owned by the writer Zane Grey. The market required shoppers to become members of the market which circumvented certification requirements for the market.
Ultimately, the market was closed, but the LA County Department of Parks and Recreation approached Joseph Shuldiner - one of the Urban Farmers’ Market’s organizers - about the possibility of opening a certified farmers’ market in Loma Alta Park.
Joseph was determined to keep the community spirit of the Urban Farmers’ Market by ensuring the new, certified market continued to prioritize local farmers and food vendors. He hired Elizabeth Bowman, a graduate student developing an urban farmers’ toolkit to help local farmers better access and understand the direct marketing regulations that govern certified farmers’ markets.
Elizabeth took over market operations from 2014 - 2018 and during that time the market incubated dozens of local farmers and food vendors.
In 2018, Stacey Whitney - Altadena native, food business owner, and Master Gardener - took over market operations and oversaw the market during the COVID-19 pandemic, transitioning the market to a system of online ordering with drive-through pickup, with orders safely pre-packed by volunteers.
Until 01/07/2025, when a disaster of historical proportions would change thousands of lives forever.
The in-person market reopened in 2021. Planning for a move to Chicago in 2023, Stacey was working with the county and market vendors to determine a new path for the market, and during this transition, the County abruptly announced that they contracted a new market operator and changed the market day and name, leaving many of the market vendors and community in limbo.
Rafa Gass, Stacey’s assistant, and long-time market staff Leigh McGilvray, were determined to keep the market going. Rafa took over management of the market and, leveraging lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic, went back to online preordering with local businesses serving as pick up locations.
